PRISM EQUIPPED ILLUMINATION UNIT FOR VEHICLE

• US 20100195344A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: YOSHIDA, Haruki
• Application Number:
  US12/688,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20100195344A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/516
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/76 for spotlighting, e.g. reading lamps spotlighting on or for specific fittings B60Q3/20; spotlighting in mass transit vehicles B60Q3/44

Abstract

An illumination unit for a vehicle comprising: a light emitting element; an outer housing including an opening, on which the light emitting element is mounted; a prism disposed between the light emitting element and the opening, the prism including a tip portion which is disposed at the opening, a body portion which continues from the tip portion, a flange portion which continues from the body portion, and a stage at a boundary between the tip portion and the body portion.

Claims

1. An illumination unit for a vehicle comprising:

a light emitting element;

an outer housing including an opening, on which the light emitting element is mounted;

a prism disposed between the light emitting element and the opening, the prism including a tip portion which is disposed at the opening, a body portion which continues from the tip portion, a flange portion which continues from the body portion, and a stage at a boundary between the tip portion and the body portion.

2. The illumination unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the stage is configured to reflect light emitted from the light emitting element toward a side surface of the body portion.

3. The illumination unit for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the prism has a cylindrical shape.

4. The illumination unit for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a height of the stage is larger than a quarter of a distance between the opening and the light emitting element.

5. The illumination unit for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a width of the stage is larger than a half of a distance between the side surface of the body portion and an axis through the light emitting element and a center of the opening.

6. The illumination unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the body portion has a rectangular box shape.

7. The illumination unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the prism is formed integrally from a same resin.

8. An illumination unit for a vehicle comprising:

a light emitting element;

an outer housing including an opening, on which the light emitting element is mounted;

a cylindrical prism disposed between the light emitting element and the opening, the prism including a first portion of a first radius, a second portion of a second radius, and a third portion of a third radius,

wherein the first, the second, and the third radiuses are different from each other.

9. The illumination unit according to claim 8, wherein one of the differences between the first, second, and third radiuses is larger than a half of a distance between a side surface of the second portion and an axis of the cylindrical prism.